Cooling safe or chamber.



Patented Ian. 2|, I902. R. MENZ. COOLING SAFE OB'GHAMBER.

(A lication med Jan. 3, 1900.)

No' Model.)

2 Sheets$heet I.

No. 69!,40I. Patented Jan. 2|, I902. B. MENZ.

COOLING SAFE 0B CHAMBER.

(Applicstion flled Jan. 3, 1900.)

2 Shasta-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

WITNES ap-6' m: nomus vn cns 00.. FQOTULITNQ. WASHINGTON. ov c.

UNITED STATES RUDOLPI-I MENZ, OF ADELAIDE, SOUTH AUSTRALIA.

COOLING SAFE OR CHAMBER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 691,401, dated January 21, 1902.

Application filed January 3, 1900. Serial No. 265. (No model.)

To (LZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RUDOLPH MENZ, watchmaker, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, and a'resident of No. 19 Royal Exchange, King WVilliam street, Adelaide, in the Colony of South Australia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cooling Safes or Chambers, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to provide a safe or chamber in which a cool temperature is automatically maintained without the employment ofice or chemicals, which are expensive and sometimes difficult to obtain.

My invention may be applied to the construction of domestic and other safes for the storage of food substances, to door and win dow openings of an ordinary room or building, and to portable chambers, such as railwayvans, whereby in each case a great reduction of the internal temperature is obtained, rendering the safe-chamber or building cool even in extremely hot weather.

Myinvention consists in providingin a suitable frame one or more endless traveling bands of suitable porous flexible material, each of which is mounted upon two or more rollers, one or more of the rollers being rotated by some suitable motive power and the bottom roller being mounted in a trough of liquid, preferably water, so that as the band is continuously passing through the liquid itis maintained in a damp condition, and as the liquid is evaporated the temperature of the chamber or of the safe and contents is efiectively reduced.

In order thatmy invention may be clearly understood, I will describe the same with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 shows one of the endless bands with its fittings, the band being lifted out of the trough. Fig. 2isaperspective front view of a safe for storing food substances. Fig. 3 is a View of the top of same with portion of the outer cover broken away to show the position of the mechanism for driving the bands and the mechanism for raising the door. Fig.

4 is a cross-section immediately above the top of the bands, showing the means for obtaining the simultaneous movement of the several bands. Fig. 5 is a cross-section near the bottom of the safe, showing the water-containing troughs. Fig. 6 is a view, partly in section, of the front, showing the door partly raised. Fig. 7 is a similar view showing another means for raising the door.

On reference to Fig. 1 it will be seen that the endless band 1, which maybe made of any suitable porous flexible material-for instance, canvasis mounted upon top and bottom rollers 2 and 6. The bottom roller 6 is immersed in a liquid, such as water, contained in a trough 12, formed in the base 11. In order that the band may be slackened or tightened when necessary, the journals of the roller 6 are carried by slotted plates 7, which are attached to the standards 10 of the permanent frame (not shown in this figure) by thumbscrews 8, so that the roller may be raised or lowered, as desired. Motion is given to the upper roller 2 by clockwork 5 or other suitable mechanism acting through one of the bevelwheels 3 or byother convenient device. In the safe (shown in Figs.2 to 6) I employ fourbands, one for each of the four sides. The frame of the safe comprises the base 11, in which are the troughs 12, four standards 10 at the corners, and a top, all of which may be made of wood or metal; but as the troughs must be water-tight I prefer to form these of metal. The standards are made of the shape shown and fitted so close to the bands as not to allow air to pass around the ends of the bands. The top is made double the space between the two parts, being packed with some non-conductor of heat, such as asbestos, except in spaces required for mechanism. The top roller 2 of the back-band has a cog or worm wheel 4, which is driven by clockwork mechanism 5, mounted between the two partsof the double top. Motion is communicated from this roller to the other rollers by bevel-wheels 3. (Shown more particularly in Fig.4.) Access to the interior of the safe is obtained through the door in the front,which is so constructed and supported as to be capable of up-and-' IOC at the bottom, so that when the door is closed the bottom roller is immersed in the liquid in the trough 12. To the inside of the door near the bottom is attached a cord 14, which passes over a pulley 15 at the top to a coilspring 16, secured between the two parts of the double top. The door is held in a closed position by a spring-bolt 17, which when it is desired to open thedoor is withdrawn by the handle 18, acting through the cord 19. To close the door, it is pulled down by the hand, which action resets the spring 16 and spring-bolt 17. In the construction shown in Fig. 7 the door carries a rack 20 on each side,which racks are engaged by spur-wheels 21, mounted upon a spindle 24 and provided with a crank-handle 22, whereby the door is raised or lowered. Openings are made in the standards 10 to allow the wheels 21 to gear with the racks 20. To hold the door open at any desired height, a pawl 23 is provided, which engages with the teeth of the wheel 21.

This safe will be especially useful for domestic purposes in private houses, hotels, and restaurants and for storekeepers who desire to keep perishable articles, such as dairy produce, handy on the counter.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is- 1. In a cooling-chamber, a movable wall comprising an endless belt of flexible material, upper and lower rollers over which said belt passes, means for simultaneously raising and lowering both rollers and the belt, a trough containing liquid into which said belt dips when lowered, and actuating mechanism for moving said'belt, said actuating mechanism being automatically disengaged and engaged by the raising and lowering of the rollers, substantially as described.

2. In a cooling-chamber, three movable walls forming three sides and a movable door, each of the three sides comprising an endless belt of flexible material, upper and lower rollers over which said belt passes, a trough containing liquid into which said belt dips continuously and actuating mechanism for moving all said three side belts continuously and the movable door comprising an endless belt of flexible material, upper and lower rollers over which said belt passes, means for simultaneously raising and lowering both rollers and the belt, a trough containing liquid into which said belt dips when lowered and actuating mechanism for moving said belt and the three side belts together simultaneously and continuously except for the space of time during which the door-belt is raised and the door open, the three side belts and the door-belt being so fitted and con structed that with the stationary top and bottom they form a practically air-tight chamber, substantially as herein described and as illustrated by the drawings.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name, in the presence of two witnesses, this 10th day of November, 1899.

RUDOLPH MENZ.

Witnesses:

CHARLES NICHOLAS OoLLIsoN, ARTHUR GORE OoLLIsoN. 

